Sins of the Sea
by xxBellaNottexx
Summary: Cora Montgomery is in Cuba with her father Admiral John Montgomery to secure a treaty between the English and Spanish.While there, Cora meets Nico Cortez, a Spanish officer who changes her life forever. Pre-POTC 5. Salazar will be present. Hints of Barbossa and Jack. Will go into POTC 5 when the time is right. OC/OC(Spanish Officer)


Hello everyone! So, I haven't been on fanfiction in QUITE some time. Lots of personal things have been going on (all good, I promise) and I just haven't had the time. Now that I have a bit of free time, I plan on trying to get one to two chapters out every week. I miss writing and hope that I haven't downgraded too much! Lol! Just for the record, I DO NOT own any of the POTC characters, except for my OCs (Cora & John). Hope you all enjoy! Please review, it only helps to better my writing!

Sunlight broke through the small crack in between the curtains of Cora Montgomery's room. Unfortunately for her maid, it wasn't enough to wake the sleeping beauty. The short, Spanish woman, with her hair always in a bun, made her way over to one set of curtains and ripped them open. The harsh sun hit Cora's face, causing her to groan in annoyance. She should have known that staying in Cuba wasn't going to be any different than staying in Kingston or London.

"Miss, your father will be ready to go soon. He wants you to accompany him." The woman, who Cora came to know as Maria, moved to another set of curtains and ripped them open, as well. The young brunette threw her legs over the side of her bed and sat up, not really wanting to move. She was in a foreign country, in a foreign room, which meant she hadn't slept very well. It was uncommon for the English to be in Cuba but her father was on a mission to make some peace with the Spaniards. How, you might ask? Well, her father, Admiral John Montgomery, was sent to appeal to the Spanish and see if they would allow for British ships to search for pirates in their waters. If they agreed, the Brits would allow for Spanish ships to freely roam their waters, looking for pirates. It was a strategic political move to rid pirates of the seas for good.

Maria looked over to the young girl with the bright green eyes and freckles speckled across her nose and cheeks. "Miss Cora, you have to get dressed. He will not leave without you."

"Of course, he won't," she groaned, standing up and walking behind a room divider. As she began to remove her nightdress, Maria came around the other side to assist her. "I wasn't even supposed to be here."

"Yes, I heard all about it. Your father needs to find a way to keep you grounded."

Cora smirked, as Maria began to lace up her corset. "He'll never succeed."

It took them a few moments but soon Cora was walking down a grand staircase to meet her father. He stood at the bottom of the steps, surrounded by a few Spanish soldiers. It was odd seeing him around the military men of another country, almost like they were about to be taken to their death. Cora, of course, knew that wasn't the case. These men were only here to make sure her father didn't cause any trouble. And to keep the two of them safe. Many, if not all Spaniards, still hated the British. This treaty would be a good way to start mending ties.

She hoped to her dress would behave itself but Victorian style dresses were not the easiest to move in. Aside for the corset, the skirt alone could kill you. The big poofy mess made it hard to sit and getting into a carriage looked just plan ridiculous. Lucky for her, there was a carriage waiting outside for them. Her father smiled at her as she reached the last step. "You're a vision, my dear."

"Thank you, father." She spoke with disbelief. He was her father, naturally he was biased.

"I mean it. Your mother would say the same." He continued to smile at his daughter and noticed that her eyes softened at the mention of her mother.

"I know," she said as her father linked arms with her and walked outside. The sun hit her face once again, but this time it was accompanied by sheer heat. You would think that moving from London, England to Kingston, Jamaica would make her immune to the heat, but Cora was certain that she would never get used to it. Especially when it was extremely humid. The weather made it feel like her skin was really to melt off. "Please tell me that we will be inside, otherwise I am going to faint on the ground. This corset makes it difficult to breathe."

The admiral let out a laugh, as he began to help his daughter into the carriage. "Yes, we will be inside. I will be meeting with a Captain Salazar and his second-in-command at a fortress."

Cora sat back in the seat, pushing her skirt down and nodding. The fortress, eh? That must have been the huge castle looking building she saw when they got off their ship. She was sure that Kingston had one as well, but she wasn't entirely sure. She didn't pay attention that much. When she was home, she focused on other things, like how to keep her suitors at bay. She was of age to get married and her father was always advocating for one seaman or another. Really, anyone of stature that had a military background; commandants, officers, one other admiral, captains. She turned down all of them. To Cora, they were way too old for her and she wanted to marry for love. That was unrealistic, but one could hope.

The ride wasn't very long, and Cora was highly thankful for that. It was way too hot to be stuck in a carriage in a tight corset. Her father peered out the window and once they arrived, her opened the door and stepped out. Cora was about to wiggle out, when she noticed a hand sticking into the carriage. It was a bit darker than her fathers, causing an eyebrow to shoot upwards. Gingerly, she took it, her pale skin becoming even more evident against the tanned skin of the mysterious hand. As she stepped out, her eyes slowly adjusted to the light difference. Her emerald eyes met the brown eyes of a Spanish sailor. She quickly noticed that he was wearing an officers uniform. Cora stared at the man for a moment, before the clearing of a throat broke her focus.

"Captain Salazar is inside. If you will both follow me." A taller man with an eyepatch over one eye turned on his heel and began to walk the numerous stairs into the fortress. Admiral Montgomery followed behind, with Cora at his side. The other four officers followed behind them. At the front entrance, on each side, stood two soldiers, their bayonets resting at their sides. Their eyes staring forward as the admiral and Cora walked inside.

Captain Salazar walked out of another set of doors and toward the two. He bowed graciously in front of Cora, gently taking her hand and bringing it up to his lips. He gave her a small kiss onto the back of her hand, his eyes glancing up her. Cora was used to this kind of treatment. "I didn't realize you were bringing such a lovely woman with you, Admiral."

The captain straightened up, looking towards her father. With a genuine smile, he placed a hand onto her lower back and nodded to the Spaniard. "This is my daughter, Cora. Normally, she would be left at home but she has a nasty habit of sneaking onto ships."

Salazar let out an amused laugh. The officers that stood around them seemed to smirk in unison. "That is a rare gift to have."

Cora smiled, giving him a curtsy. "It's a lot easier when a lot of the men on broad fancy you."

"She is a sassy one!" Salazar was highly amused with this girl. It wasn't often that he meant the daughters of high ranking military men. On the rare occasion that he did, they never spoke. That sat there like perfect little dolls, making sure not to embarrass whomever they were with. This girl was different though. She was fiery and clearly, not afraid to speak her mind.

"Aye, she gets that from her mother." Her father took a step forward. Salazar nodded once at the girl and headed into the doors he had come out of. Her father, over his shoulder, told Cora that she would have to wait outside. Security purposes and all. She was fine with that, there happened to be soldiers standing inside the fortress, guarding three different sets of doors. If anything was to happen, she was certain that she would be safe.

The four officers walked in with the captain and admiral. The one who had helped her out of the carriage, looked at her as he moved by her. A soft smile spread across his face as their eyes met again. Cora sucked in a breath, not really knowing why. It wasn't the first time a man looked at her, nor would it be the last. What caught her off guard though was how young he looked. Cora was 17 and this guy had to be around the same age. To be honest, Cora was not sure how old you had to be to be an officer but it seemed that he was young. Perhaps she was wrong and this was normal. She knew that with the British, boys as young as six years old were on ships.

Cora wasn't sure how long her father was speaking with the Spanish captain but by the time they emerged, she was ready to get home. While it was somewhat cooler inside the fortress, it was still too hot for her to really function. She wanted nothing but to pour ice water all over her body and slip away into a cool abyss. Her father moved over to her with a smile, telling Cora that it had went well. Salazar looked to the admiral and bowed once more to Cora. "It was a pleasure meeting the two of you. I hope the rest of your stay in Cuba will treat you well. The seas will soon be clean."

Cora curtsied back at him. Once Salazar had left, his other officers bowed their goodbyes and followed their leader. Cora and her father retired to their carriage, where they rode back to their temporary home. Maria met them at the door, quickly letting her the admiral know that dinner was cooking now and within the next two hours, it would be ready for them. Cora immediately went into the sitting room, where cups of tea and biscuits were already waiting. Fantastic. They were going to have tea time in this heat? The brunette sat down, fixing her skirt as she did. She reached over to the small table and grabbed a biscuit. Her father joined her a short time later. He was still dressed in his military uniform.

Grabbing a cup, her looked to his daughter and smiled. "It seems the captain quite likes you."

Cora was in the midst of taking a bite of her biscuit, when she stopped. Her eyes lingered on her father before she, gently, set the biscuit back down onto the plate. "We've been over this…I don't want to marry any of your military friends."

Her father nearly gawked at her. Certainly, she didn't he wanted her to marry a Spaniard? "Cora, the last thing I want is for you to marry anyone other than someone who is British. I just think it gives me a nice edge that my daughter has caught the attention of the captain."

With her brow raised, Cora glared at her father. "Excuse me, I am not a pawn in your strategic game to win political favors."

"Not at all, I was merely suggesting-"

"I know what you were suggesting and I don't find it appropriate. I'm your daughter, not a chess piece."

Her father knew she was right. He really shouldn't use her as eye candy to gain the upper handle in political situations. It was definitely wrong of him to do and he felt a pain in her heart when he realized how upset she was about it. "My apologies, my dear. I don't want you to think that's why I brought you there today."

Cora had picked up biscuit and dunked it into her tea. Her lips pursed as she looked back up at her father. "Then, why did you?"

"I don't trust you being by yourself. We're in a land, full of people who don't like us. I fear that you may be attacked if I'm not directly in sight or if you're not in the company of the military. We have an agreement with them but that doesn't mean that the citizens will leave us alone. There are no guards here for you." He was correct. All his men were back on the ship. They were not allowed to come abroad and to be frank, Cora wouldn't have been allowed either, if her father hadn't made it clear that she was going with him. Admiral John Montgomery had wished Cora would have stayed in Kingston though, but he knew that wherever he went, Cora was sure to follow. It had been that way since she was seven years old.

After her mother died, at the age of five, Cora had to be placed in the care of a neighbor when her father would go out to sea. After two years of that, she refused to do it anymore. Her father had explained to her that she wasn't allowed to go with him; that it was too dangerous and that ships were no place for women. Cora, even at a young age, wouldn't take that as a proper answer. In the middle of the night, when her father was preparing to leave on a voyage, Cora escaped for her neighbor's home and walked down to the docks. It was easy getting on the ship, no one even noticed her. It wasn't until about a week later that she was found. Of course, her father had been furious but quickly realized that he couldn't bring her back. They were too far away and it would be a waste of resources and time to bring her all the way back.

Ever since then, Cora would sneak onto ships that her father was on. She had seen many things, a lot of them gruesome. To be honest, she was surprised she had survived this long. Some of the voyages her father went on, were far too dangerous. Ships were destroyed, men lost limbs. People would be shocked to learn that the most that had happened to her was that she was knocked out by a flying piece of wood. She had a large gash on her forehead for weeks. If you were to look hard enough, you would still see the slight scar it left behind.

"I understand. I don't mind going. I just don't want to be used as a pawn, is all." Her father nodded at her. He would make a quick note of that. He vowed to never use her again. If she wanted to go, she could, but only because she wanted to.

A few hours later they had sat down and ate dinner. Once dinner was all said and done, her father had retired to his room for the remainder of the night. Cora went upstairs shortly after her father and found herself looking out one of the windows that lined her room. From where she was standing, she could see the harbor. Lights in lanterns danced along the streets, people moved in and out of homes and other buildings, stars sparkled in the sky above, creating a beautiful scene around her. She smiled down at it, wishing she could leave. At that moment, a thought hit her. She knew that her father would be asleep soon and the night was still young. Nodding to herself, she knew exactly what she had to do.

Maria entered the room, interrupting her thoughts. She lightly cleared her throat, causing Cora to turn around and look at her. Grabbing a handful of fabric, Cora pulled her curtains closed, as Maria got her nightgown ready for her.

Maria untied the back of her dress and helped remove it from her body. Next was that god-awful skirt. She unhooked it and more or less, let it fall to the ground. Cora wanted to kick it out of the way, but she knew better. Maria picked it up, walked away from the divider and put the hoop away. Cora hated that damn thing. She much preferred to wear her dressed without the hoop. In formal company, however, it was expected to have the hoop on under your skirt. It gave you more shape, or so Cora had been told. "How was it today?"

"I believe it went well. My father didn't speak about it at tea and he didn't really mention it at dinner. If it had gone wrong, we would have been gone by now." Cora said, walking back the room divider. Maria followed her and began to untie her corset. Slowly, she let it out, allowing Cora to take a nice deep breath. Oxygen never felt so amazing, unless you've been wearing a tight corset all day long. She understood it the was the latest fashion, and she didn't mean them. To be honest, she though they looked quite stunning, but she wished that they didn't have to be so tight.

The corset was slipped over her head and Cora was left standing with just bloomers on. Maria didn't need to help her to take those off. She quickly slipped them off, as Maria let the nightgown fall over her head. She smiled at the young girl before wishing her a good night.

Cora walked over to her bed and sat down. She knew her father had already wished her a good evening, so she wasn't worried about him coming in. What she was worried about was what she would wear. Standing up again, she moved to her closet and pulled it open. She rifled through a few of her dresses and grabbed the nicest one. She would have to do without the corset, unless she could find a way to put it on without the help of anyone. After a moment in thought, she realized that wasn't going to happen. Unless…

Cora walked out of her bedroom, and knocked at Maria's door. The short woman opened it, with a surprised look. "Yes, Miss Cora?"

"May I ask a favor? I have a new corset that I'd like to try on."

Maria raised a brow at the girl. "But it's the middle of the night."

"I know, but father has a dinner party with Captain Salazar tomorrow so I wanted to break it in a little before then." Cora smiled at the woman. It was the sweetest, most innocent smile she could muster.

Maria sighed, looking behind her and seeing her husband already asleep. The poor man must have had a long day for he had to wait in the carriage until the admiral was finished with his meeting. Maria looked back at Cora and nodded. She knew she wouldn't have any time with her husband tonight, so why not indulge the young girl?

She followed Cora to her bedroom and quickly pulled the corset from the closet. She prepped the brunette before slipping the corset over her head. She tightened it as fast as she could, then took a step back. She nodded at the new corset and told Cora to check it out in the mirror. "Is it to your liking?"

"Oh yes, thank you."

Maria went to sit down and Cora frowned. "No, it's all right. You don't have to stay. I'll be in this for a few hours, just to break it in a little."

The maid stared at the woman for a minute but was too tired to argue with you. The British, she thought, were weird people. Instead of just using an older corset, she had to put on a new one that no one was going to see in the first place. Then she thought again and thought perhaps it was because this corset really showed off her cleavage, with the older one was subtler. As she looked at Cora one last time, she knew that had to be the case. Her breasts were nearly touching her chin. Maria could only wonder who she was trying to impress. With one last smile, she nodded to the young girl and went back to bed.

Once she was alone, Cora set forth to getting ready. She threw a dress on, minus that stupid hoop, and put on some nice shoes. Cora quickly threw her hair into a semi-up do, put on a choker and walked out of her bedroom. She basically tiptoed through the halls, as to not make any sound. She thought that perhaps she should have put her shoes on last, but she knew that once she got to the servant's stairs, it wouldn't matter. Her father would never hear her from there. She moved down the stairs and into the kitchen. Much to her surprise, she came face to face with a bunch of the kitchen staff. They were just sitting down to supper, after having to clean the plates of their guests. Cora bit her lip. Her Spanish was enough to get her by, but she knew her accent was horrible.

"Sorry, please don't say anything. I'm just going out for a bit."

One of the women stood up, looking concerned. Was she really going to let this young girl go out at night? Her pale skin was enough to give her away and her accent would surely do her in. The cook wanted to walk over there and march her back upstairs, but she didn't think it was her place. For all she knew, the girl could handle herself. Maybe she was going back to their ship to be sneaky with one of the British sailors. Who was she to stop young love?

With one nod, she sat back down, allowing Cora to run out of the door. There were no lights on the backside of the house, so Cora had to watch each step. She could hear the horses in the barn, as she walked by it. In seconds, she was on a side street next to the home. She followed it straight, to the main road. Lanterns lit up the street and she, recalled from her memory, where the most lights were. She began to walk in that direction, hoping to find a tavern nearby.

There weren't many people on the streets, much to her relief. If she was going to be around people, she much rather preferred to be around people under lights. Granted, she knew she wouldn't be a friendly face here, even if she didn't mean any harm. As thoughts soared through her mind, she kept walking straight, following the lanterns. She knew she was getting close to something, because she started to hear laughter, various voices and some music. Those were good signs. All signs that meant a pub was probably close. After about five minutes, she stumbled upon just that. A small pub that was filled to the brim with people. Cora snuck in and walked up to the bartender. She put a few coins onto the bar and smiled sweetly at the man behind it. He leaned over, listening to her order. Nodding once, he turned and smacked a cup down in front of her. Amber liquid poured into her cup before she picked it up and began to walk away with it.

She could feel eyes on her and it wasn't long before a man walked up to her. He was a lot taller than her 5 foot 3-inch stature. He was practically a tree. Looming over her, he stared down at her. Cora's eyes met his and her face lost any and all color. "Look it here, a little gringa here to play."

Cora didn't say anything. Instead, she let her eyes drop and tried to move past the man. He took a step in front of her, not allowing her to movie. Cora didn't dare look up at him again. She went to turn around and was stopped by another man. This one wasn't as tall as the first man, but he was still intimidating. Cora was beginning to kick herself for coming out. She hadn't been there five minutes and she was already about to be murdered.

"What is a little British girl doing in Cuba, eh?"

The tall man, now behind her, laughed. "Bitch probably doesn't speak Spanish."

"That's perfect then. We can just take her and do as we please with her."

Cora's eyes narrowed. "I do speak Spanish, thank you very much. And it's none of your damn business why I'm here."

Something in her snapped. Perhaps it was the uttering of the word 'bitch' or the fact they said they were going to rape her, without really saying it. Whatever it was, it caused her to become extremely angry. The tall man grabbed her by the shoulders and whipped her around. He smacked the cup from her hand, causing the liquid inside to splatter on the ground. "That ale will be quickly replaced by your blood, you little white bitch!"

The man raised his hand and just as he was bringing it down, he stopped. Not because he wanted to, but because someone grabbed his arm and was now twisting it behind his back. The shorter of the two men, pushed Cora out of the way and went to attack his friend's attacker. As he got closer enough, the barrel of a gun was shoved into his face. "Take another step and I will blow a hole in your face."

The guy took a step back, his tall friend trying to break away from the mysterious man. "She is protected not only by a treaty, but by the Royal Spanish Navy. Clear off!"

The man pushed the tall guy to the ground and walked around him. He wore an officers uniform and Cora recognized him instantly. He was the man that had helped her out of the carriage earlier in the day. Still overcome with shock, she just stared at him. Stared in the same beautiful brown eyes from before. He held his hand out to her, where she quickly took it. "Come, Miss. I'll replace that drink for you."

Eyes were on the two of them. Everyone was staring and it was burning holes into Cora. She swallowed hard as she walked back up to the bar with the unknown officer. He tossed a few coins on the bar and instructed the man to refill whatever she had been drinking. The bartender grabbed the bottle and began to pour the liquid into another cup. He nodded to the two of them and pushed the cups forward. Cora took it in her hands and quickly threw it back, before someone else spilled it all over the ground.

The officer took a huge sip and eyed the girl in wonder. "Whiskey, eh? Interesting choice for a young woman."

"You're one to talk. You look no older than me." Cora turned to face him. She studied his face and realized how handsome he was. She didn't get the opportunity to notice earlier, due to the briefness of their meeting.

"Aye. I'm 19."

"And already an officer? Look at you, going places in the world." She smirked, bringing the cup back up to her lips.

His face stayed rather stoic but her sassy comment brought a small smile to his lips. "What can I say? I work hard."

Cora had finished her drink and leaned against the bar. She didn't feel comfortable there any longer but she didn't dare walk out of there by herself. The officer finished off his drink and nodded towards the door. "We can go, if you'd like. I'll take you home. You've probably had enough excitement for now."

Cora nodded at him and took his hand. He led her out the door and turned to walk back towards her home. She stopped in the middle of the street, causing him to stop. "I'd rather walk around a bit, if that's all right. I've been cooped up in there since we arrived. I just need to stretch my legs."

The man nodded, turning on his heel and moving towards her. She held onto his arm, moving through the streets with her. They were silent for a few minutes until Cora decided to speak up. "So, what is the name of my savior?"

The mysterious man looked to her and smirked. "My name is Nico, or Officer Cortez, if you prefer."

"Well Nico, thank you for rescuing me."

"It's not a problem." Nico walked her down close to the waterline and stopped on a small bridge. He unhooked his arm from her and leaned onto the stone railing. "It wasn't safe for you to be wandering around at night. Even if you weren't British, it would still be dangerous."

Cora walked over to the railing and placed her hands gently on it. "I know, I just…I just needed to get out for a bit."

Nico turned his head slightly to look at her. From the moment, he saw her, he had thought she was beautiful but under the gentle light of the moon, she was even more stunning. "Life that horrible for you?"

"No, it's not that. I just like to explore. I like to see new things and my father won't allow me out of that house for fear of someone harming me."

At that comment, Nico fully turned around, leaning back onto the edge of the railing. He smirked slyly at her, as he folded his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry. I must have misheard that. Did you say your father was worried about you getting hurt? Interesting."

Cora pursed her lips and slightly narrowed her eyes at him. She knew he was having a laugh and a part of her wanted to smack him. She held back though, for she knew he meant well. "Yes, I know. I should have stayed there."

"You should have. Your father would have been devastated if anything happened to you. He spoke very highly of you in that meeting. Even mentioned how you used to sneak onto his ships?"

Cora laughed a little. "Yeah, I did. When I was seven I snuck out the neighbor's house and started to make my way down to the docks. Imagine, if you will, a small girl in a nightgown and barefoot, clutching a teddy and walking onto a dock."

Cora recalled the memory and smiled at it. Even as a child she was brave, even if her bravery was tested tonight. "People gave me strange looks but no one said anything. No one tried to take me back. Thinking back on it, I'm surprised I wasn't snatched and brought straight to a work house."

While she spoke, Nico watched her, smiling all the while. She was lovely. Her beautiful porcelain skin, the softness of her voice, the way her hair cascaded down her body. He couldn't stop looking at her. Nico never thought he would ever look at an English woman the way he was looking at her. He knew that it wasn't a lack of female contact, for her frequented the tavern and had his fair share of women. This woman in front of him was just different. She didn't seem like the kind to roll over and let a man tell her what to do. She seemed like occasionally she took charge. That idea excited him.

"Once I got to the ship, I hid with the cows and pigs that were on board. It took them a week to find me. They feared that rats were eating their food, because once everyone was asleep, I would sneak food from the galley. They went around the ship looking for the vermin when one of the men happened upon me. He quickly got my father, he gave me a good scolding and threatened to take me back. We were so far away, that he decided to just keep me there until his voyage was over."

Cora met Nico's eyes again and a streak of pink flashed over her cheeks. The way he was looking at her was something she had seen before and while she hated to see it on other men, she felt differently this time around. She welcomed the look with a delicate smile. "Ever since then I've been sneaking onto his ships. After my mother died, I didn't have anyone else. My mother's side of the family live in Ireland and my father's family isn't in London. It was just easier to leave me with a neighbor. But I needed my father. I needed someone familiar. I was so afraid that I'd lose him to, that I thought he would be safer with me around."

"Seems like he is safer with you around. He's come this far, with so many dangerous voyages. You must be a good luck charm." Nico cocked his head to the side, continuing to stare at her beauty.

Cora's face grew hotter and she turned to look in the direction of her home. "It's getting late. I should be going home."

The officer pushed off from the bridge and linked his arm with hers. He wasn't going to let her go home by herself. Especially not with what had happened earlier. He needed to make sure she was kept safe. Besides, he sort of fancied her.

Cora asked him what his story was and Nico had shrugged. "Not as fun as yours I'm afraid. My father was a sailor, mother ran an inn. I grew up around sailors, soldiers, wenches, drunks. Just about every type of person you can find staying in an inn and tavern."

"Do you own the one we were at?"

"Oh no, my parents are back in Spain. I'm only stationed here because of Captain Salazar. Hoping to go home someday, but for now, I'm content here."

Cora nodded at him. He was wrong. His story as just as exciting as her. He grew up in a relatively wild environment. If Cora had listened to her father, she would probably still be in London or in Kingston, sitting by a fire and awaiting the next letter from him. She would lead a boring life. Nico definitely had something more exciting right from day one.

They arrived just outside of Cora's home. She stood on the top steps for a moment, looking to Nico. "Thank you, for everything."

"You're welcome."

Cora turned to walk inside, but Nico, gently, grabbed her arm. "If it's not too bold, I was hoping we could maybe see each other again?"

It was a bold move, but he couldn't leave there without asking it. If she had left and he had never tried, then he would hate himself for years to come. This may have been his only chance to make something happen with her.

Cora had turned to him and her eyes widened. She was taken aback by the question but she didn't want to tell him no. To be honest, she would have loved to see him again. How they would make that happen was besides her though. "I would love that."

"If you sneak out again tomorrow night, same time, I'll be waiting by that lantern." He turned and pointed down the street a little way. It was long enough for no one to notice her and short enough to be a safe distance for her to travel. Cora nodded at him before heading back into the house.

Thankfully, no one was around, so she quickly took off her shoes and bolted up the stair and into her room. It took her a few minutes to get ready for bed, but once she was done, she hopped in and quickly fell asleep. It had been a long, eventful night and for once, she was giving a military man a chance with speaking to her. In his defense, he was different. He was foreign, for a lack of a better explanation. Something just drew her to him and Cora wasn't going to question it too much. She knew, however, that they wouldn't have much time together because within two weeks' time, she would be headed back to Kingston and away from him forever.


End file.
